Avoiding “Accordion Brow”
Mel Gibson used to be such a good looking fellow. Now the poor guy's forehead looks like the pleats of an Accordion. Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp also have trenches being dug into their cranial fronts. Sigh...I have a nice one running down the middle of my forehead with the signs of more on the way. I so very sincerely wish someone had told me the following when I was younger.
Don't Wrinkle Your Forehead. Just envision poor Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and most older guys and you should have more than enough motivation not to wrinkle your forehead.
Wear A Hat With A Brim. Keep the sun OFF your forehead. The sun will turn your skin into a cracked and parched desert. Again, picture most older guys.
Moisturize Your Forehead! God. I sooooooo wish I had realized this back when I started my moisturizing routine at 23. I thought my forehead skin didn't need moisturizing, because it was “tough”. I was also worried about acne. Still have acne, and fine wrinkles now too. Sigh. I do moisturize my forehead now though.
Currently, I'm using Yes To Carrots : Deliciously Rich Body Butter. [Edit : I am now using Yes To Carrots : C Through The Night, Night Moisturizing Cream] My forehead is nice and soft, and the lines are softened somewhat.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), or
So Long Shafts (of hair, that is)
I'll be blunt as a broadsided bat. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is more than likely total crap for your hair. It's a detergent (cleaner) and the ingredient responsible for making all that foam. It's a main ingredient in Garage Floor Degreasers (yikes), and, unfortunately, it denatures protein too. Hair is made of dead protein (I know...oh oh). SLS is probably destroying your hair.
I feel bad for bald guys. Or those guys with that big bald spot on the top of their head. It doesn't look too great.
, _ , I used to have super thick hair. I was quite proud of it. But, it's been getting thinner and more lanky. It was especially thin 2 years ago when I was shampooing everyday.
At the time I was using Down Under Naturals. It's 2nd ingredient is SLS's cousin : Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
Once I realized my hair was really starting to get thin and I could be on my way to balding I raced to the internet for info.
I suspected the cause was my shampoo and another of those evil chemicals company's indiscriminately use to cut costs, boost profits and the rest of that inhuman Capitalist puke.
Once again I was right. Sigh. The whole Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware) thing is getting exhausting isn't it?
Read the back of almost any Shampoo Bottle. SLS will almost guaranteed be the second ingredient.
Or if not SLS than it's cousin Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Suflate.
Nowadays I use Jason's Aloe Vera 84% Shampoo and Aloe Vera 84% Conditioner. [Edit : I am currently using Mill Creek's Biotin Shampoo and Mill Creek's Biotin Conditioner. It's 2nd Ingredient is Biotin a B-Complex Vitamin which is essential for healthy hair. Products list ingredients hierarchically by quantity, so Biotin being the products 2nd Ingredient means it is very plentiful.]
On the Shampoo bottle it clearly states No Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates. [Edit : As does Mill Creek's Shampoo and Conditioner.]
If SLS wasn't bad news, why would there be products with alternatives?
My hair is far from the thick healthy looking crop it used to be, but, I'd say it looks pretty good for a 29 year old guy in today's society. That said, I wish no guys had to endure baldness, and I'd say SLS is one of the reasons.
Here's my hair care advice :
Wash your hair every 2nd Day. Your scalp produces oil. Oil is ESSENTIAL, because it keeps your hair lubricated and moist. Hair is like grass. When it is full of moisture and healthy it bends and springs back easily. When its dry, it's brittle and breaks easily. Washing everyday will dry your hair out.
Leave your Conditioner in your hair after your shower. I leave my Conditioner in my hair for 2 hours after showering, and my hair is SUPER soft and awesome after I rinse and let it dry.
Shaving : The Less, The Better
The day I realized that I couldn't shave my face to its baby-like smoothness anymore was painful. “I'm becoming an old man damnit!”
I could have delayed the depressing day if I had shaved less frequently.
When I was working as a Front-Desk receptionist at 20 years of age, I shaved nearly every day. That likely did my poor skin in. sigh. People shouldn't have to sacrifice their appearance for their job.
Here's my shaving advice for guys :
DO NOT shave after showering. Soap emulsifies and removes the naturally produced oils of your skin, those oils are skin's natural lubricants. Running a sharp blade over skin when its been stripped of its grease is, well...ouch. Shave after you wake up in the morning when your skin is all nice and greasy (and less likely to become ground beef under the blade).
Aqua Velva and other “Alcohol-based” Aftershaves are crap for your skin. Alcohol is an excellent antiseptic because it sucks the moisture out of germ cells (unfortunately it does exactly that to your healthy skin cells too. Not good.)
I use Jamieson 2000 IU Vitamin E Cream as an Aftershave (contains Parabens though, so looking for an alternative). It doesn't hurt and it softens great. [Edit : I am now using Yes To Carrots : C You In The Morning, Day Cream. Works great. NO Parabens.] Where'd the stupid idea come from that men are supposed to suffer stoically come from anyway? Why do we have to sacrifice our skin for a primitive , backwards belief? Answer : we don't.
Consider shaving infrequently. I shave every 2-3 weeks, or when I'm concerned about looking good for the ladies. Facial hair doesn't interfere with me performing any of my responsibilities, so why should I sacrifice my appearance for social mores. I don't want to become one of those poor guys who shaves in the morning and than has a thick 5 o clock shadow by the evening.
Here's my shaving advice for girls (I used to shave my legs when going to the gym regularly).
Use Shampoo as a Shaving Lotion. It works and works beautifully. The gelatinous consistency of the shampoo creates a slick layer of protection and gliding surface for the skin. I never cut myself once.
I used my Mach 3 men's razor and it worked just fine.
Try using long strokes, mostly because it makes the whole boring process go by faster, but it also presents less risk of a cut (the Shampoo technique should insure that never becomes a problem though : )
Use blessed Aloe Vera as an Aftershave. No burning. Much softening and smoothing.
I love smooth legs as much as the next guy, but the same rule applies to guy shaving. The more you shave, the faster and coarser your hair will grow back. Shave when you want to impress guys, otherwise, no need to accelerate the “brushing” (turning skin into something like wild brush on the plain) process.
All these techniques apply to shaving the armpits too (which I did while going to the gym regularly).
Deodorant
Anti-Perspirants block the pores of your skin with a chemical reaction causing a gel to plug and block your sweat glands. Wait a second, don't I need to sweat to cool my body down and regulate my body temperature? Yup. Not sweating is Not good. So, AP's are no good.
When it comes to buying a Deodorant consider choosing one which is Paraben (them again), Aluminum (causes chemical reaction which blocks pores), Alcohol (again, good for killing germ cells, and, sadly, healthy cells too) and Propylene Glycol (a petroleum derivative and skin irritant).
I use Lafes Natural and Organic Deodorant found in Save-On Foods. It has a refreshing, fresh scent.
Since I work hard and sweat hard I also use Herni Bernard's Natural Crystal Deodorant Spray. The mineral salts suck the moisture out of odour causing bacteria (killing them, same as a poor slug) so : no b.o.
The combo keeps me odour free, smelling nice and my pits rash free.
Acne
First, I believe the main cause of Acne is : diet. What you put in your body will show up on your skin. Eat lots of cleansing fruits and veggies. Fatty and Salty stuff will manifest itself in angry, red breakouts.
I personally hate Acne medication. Using Clearasil's Astringent and Clearasil's 5% Salicylic Acid cream resulted in me permanently “burning” acne marks into my temples.
I recommend washing with good ol' soap and water. I like Ivory. Soap removes the oil from the skin which blocks pores and cause acne. I recommend soaping up only 'once' a day though. Dry skin is wrinkle prone skin. [Edit : I am going to be switching to a 100% Glycerin soap in the near future. From what I have read it is the mildest soap available.]
Soap and Water, and, most importantly, diet should keep you relatively acne free. Oh, and don't pick or rip off pimples. The poor skin will scar without fail.
“You've Got To Develop A Thick Skin [In Life], Then Moisturize And Wear Gloves.”
Will & Grace. Funny n' Educational.
[Edit : All Beauty Products I list can be found in Shoppers Drug-Mart or Save-On Foods or both : ) ]
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